Into Her Eyes
by serendipitychick
Summary: This takes place a while ago, after Ethan brought home Theresa from the hospital


Into Her Eyes

Just days before, Gwen had found out that the baby Theresa could bring to term was in fact the baby she and Ethan had made. Gwen went postal and stabbed Theresa in the back twice with a scrapple, and was now in jail, slowly losing her mind by the minute.

"Oh my, Ethan, is this for me?" Theresa asked. Ethan had just rolled her wheelchair around the corner of their front door, and there before her was a wheelchair ramp.

"Yes, Theresa, it's for you. I had it installed before you came here. There are also a few extra changes done inside the house." Ethan smiled at her. Even though Theresa had done some devious things in the past, like stealing his and Gwen's embryos, and seducing him, he could never stay mad at her. He looked into her eyes, and then he looked at the beautiful baby girl she was holding. He hated to admit it out loud, but he was so grateful for that baby girl. Then, it suddenly dawned on him, he was a father now. That beautiful, precious baby girl was his daughter. He looked at Theresa and simply smiled. Just then the door opened.

"Mommy!" shouted Little Ethan and he ran outside to greet his mother.

"Hi, sweetheart! What are you doing here?" she asked.

"Daddy Ethan brought me here to see you. He even said I could spend the night with you and my new baby sister."

Theresa couldn't believe what she was hearing. "You didn't do this to help me," she snapped at Ethan, "You did this to bribe me into dropping the charges on Gwen."

"Theresa, no, I didn't"

"Ethan, stop. I don't want any of this here. I will never change my mind about Gwen, so just get rid of all of this." Theresa was livid. She couldn't believe it. Just when she thought Ethan might for once be with her and his children, he went and pulled this.

"Theresa," Ethan began, "I didn't do this to bribe you." He moved his way to the front of the wheelchair and bent down to meet Theresa's eyes. 'Man,' he thought to himself, 'those eyes are so beautiful'. As he came to, he proceeded to explain, "Theresa, I made all these changes so that it would be easier for you to care for the children. I know what Gwen did to you, and no, I'm not siding with what she did. I just want you to see that she was not in her right mind when she did it. But, please know that none of this had to do with you letting her go." Ethan pleaded with Theresa.

"You didn't do this to bribe me?" Theresa asked.

"No, I didn't." Ethan couldn't stop looking into her eyes.

"Oh, ok then. Thank you. And, I want to say that I'm sorry…you know…for jumping to conclusions on you like that." Theresa said, looking a little embarrassed.

Ethan nodded his head, and pushed her chair up the ramp and into the house. As she went in, Theresa noticed all the new changed made to the house: the ramp going into the living room and the lowered changing table were among the many changed made by Ethan in the house.

"I, uhh… I hope these will help you out at little." Ethan told her. What was happening to him? Suddenly, all he cared about was making sure that Theresa would be able to take care of herself and the children, and Gwen was a minor detail.

Ethan and Theresa sat in the living room, Ethan on the couch and Theresa in her wheelchair. Suddenly, Theresa broke the silence, "Ethan, I've been thinking about it, and…I'll drop the charges on Gwen."

"What?" Ethan was in shock.

"Yes. I thought about it, and you know what? I'm tired of this back and forth feud with Gwen and Rebecca. I just want to end it. I thought that if I drop the charges on Gwen, she'll realize that I don't want to fight anymore."

Ethan was in total shock. He couldn't believe that Theresa finally decided to be the better person in all of this.

Soon, the baby was asleep, and Ethan and Theresa out her in the cradle together for the first time as parents.

"She's so beautiful, isn't she?" Theresa asked Ethan

"Yes, she is. Just like her mother." Ethan smiled at her and he gazed into her eyes. He ran his hand against her cheek softly, sending shivers up Theresa's spine. "You know what?" Ethan asked.

"What?"

"I just realized we haven't named our daughter yet." Ethan told her.

"Yeah, I guess so." Theresa said. Ethan wheeled Theresa into the living room.

"Ethan, could you put me on the couch?" Theresa asked. The wheelchair had increasingly become uncomfortable.

"Sure, no problem." Ethan went over the chair, and lifting her up, he gently placed her on the couch and sat nest to her.

"Ok, baby names. Well, I was thinking of something nice and simple, and maybe not named after family, this time." Theresa said.

"Alright, what about Kayla?" Ethan asked.

"No, I don't see it. I was thinking something like Melody. It's simple, and light. What do you think?" Theresa asked.

"Melody. I like it." Ethan told her.

"Well, Melody Winthrop it is then."

"You want to give her my last name?" Ethan asked, quite shocked.

"Well, she is your daughter, isn't she?"

"Yeah, I guess she is." Ethan wasn't sure what was coming over him. He felt something for Theresa, but it was something good and exciting. It could be that it was the adventure of raising a child with Theresa, but Ethan felt it was more than that. Ethan gazed over at Theresa as she drank her tea, the light of the fire hitting her face at just the perfect angles. He couldn't stop looking at her. Suddenly, it became too much for him.

"Ummm…I should maybe go…it's uhh, getting late." Ethan said.

Theresa looked somewhat disappointed. "Uh, sure, ok. Well, thanks so much for bringing me home."

"You don't even have to say anything. It was my pleasure." Ethan told her. He had to get out of there, away from her. "So, when Luis gets here, you'll have to show him how to use the controls on the chair so that he can help you, and"

"What? Luis?" Theresa asked confused.

"Well, isn't Luis going to come here to help you out…you know, if you need to use the bathroom or to go up and down to your bedroom?" Ethan asked.

"Well, no. I didn't really think this through. I just assumed Mama would help me." Theresa told him.

"You do know that your Mother can't lift you right?" Ethan asked her.

"Yes, I know that. But, it's just that everything has gone by so fast. I mean first I'm in labor delivering a baby, then I'm in surgery for a stab wound, then I lose my mobility, and now it's all over and I'm home. I haven't really had time to think about this." Theresa was quickly getting frantic, "Oh, Ethan, what am I going to do? I can't move, how can I do this?" Theresa was already starting to cry, something that Ethan couldn't bear to see.

"Theresa, calm down. It's going to be alright."

"No, no it's not going to be alright Ethan. I don't know what I'm doing. Why did I ever think I could handle this on my own?" Theresa was sobbing now.

Ethan moved closer to her on the sofa and held her tight. "Shh, it's ok. It'll be alright. If you want, I can stay here tonight and we'll figure out something in the morning. I'll take Miguel's old room, and if you need anything, just call me. Ok?" Ethan tried his very best to reassure her and to comfort her. He held her against his body and gently stroked her hair. He breathed in heavily, taking in her scent…how he loved the way she smelled. As he held her through her tears, he realized that it hurt him to see her cry. He was overcome with emotion that he didn't know what to do. He sat her up, "Should I take you to your bed now?" He asked her.

Theresa nodded her head. Ethan first brought up the baby's cradle into Theresa's room. Then, Ethan picked her up and carried her up the flight of stairs into her bedroom and sat her on the bed. He looked lovingly into her eyes and he set her down. Theresa looked back into his eyes, and on impulse, she lifted her head and met his lips with a short, soft kiss.

"Thank you." She said, smiling slightly, knowing that somehow everything would be alright.

"Umm… you're welcome." Ethan pulled back, not sure what to do. Then all he had to do was look into her eyes once more and all the answers were there. He gently leaned in and met their lips in another sweet kiss. He pulled away once again, and just as quickly as he did, he went back for another kiss. Their kiss grew in intensity and Ethan held her close to him. He stroked her hair as his hands explored her body, moving up and down her back. Ethan lowered her onto the bed as they continued to kiss; their mouths exploring what was once lost. The fire between them was so intense, neither of them wanted to let go.

Even though it was in the same room as their daughter was sleeping, on some level Melody knew that her parents were back together, and she wouldn't bother them.

All night long they made love, and they rekindled a love that was really always there.

As the sun rose, Ethan and Theresa lay in bed, wrapped in each other's arms. Ethan slowly opened his eyes to see Theresa laying there nest to him. He softly kissed her shoulder and got up to check on Melody.

As he peered into the cradle, there lay his beautiful daughter, sleeping soundly with the biggest smile on her face. She knew.

Ethan went and laid next to Theresa. She was still sleeping, but he knew from then on, no matter what circumstances came in the way, this is the way it would always be. For now and forever, the way fate had always meant it to be.


End file.
